Upper Level Credits - Excelsior

[ThatPoshGirl]

I've been downloading the various viewbooks from Excelsior in an attempt to put together a degree plan. I am going for a General Business degree. I want to earn most credits by examination and take a few (4 - 6) classes at the local community college. The thing that isn't clear to me is how many credits need to be upper level. The business viewbook shows that you need 12 upper level business credits but doesn't mention how many of your other credits need to be upper level. Does anyone have this info or do I have to wait until I've enrolled to find out?

[ShotoJuku]

Once you apply to and then enroll eith EC, a specific degree plan outling which lower or upper level credits you will need. GOOD LUCK!!

[snazzlefrag]

Originally Posted by ThatPoshGirl

I've been downloading the various viewbooks from Excelsior in an attempt to put together a degree plan. I am going for a General Business degree. I want to earn most credits by examination and take a few (4 - 6) classes at the local community college. The thing that isn't clear to me is how many credits need to be upper level. The business viewbook shows that you need 12 upper level business credits but doesn't mention how many of your other credits need to be upper level. Does anyone have this info or do I have to wait until I've enrolled to find out?

Poshgirl,

You need a total of at least 30 upper level credits for all the Excelsior degrees.

Be careful though! Some of the exams which are usually upper credit, are only counted as lower credit in the business degree. Such exams include: Principles of Finance, Business Policy, Operations Management....so these exams cannot be counted in your 12 upper level business credits.

Hope that helps,
Snazzlefrag

[anar579]

Originally Posted by ThatPoshGirl

I've been downloading the various viewbooks from Excelsior in an attempt to put together a degree plan. I am going for a General Business degree. I want to earn most credits by examination and take a few (4 - 6) classes at the local community college. The thing that isn't clear to me is how many credits need to be upper level. The business viewbook shows that you need 12 upper level business credits but doesn't mention how many of your other credits need to be upper level. Does anyone have this info or do I have to wait until I've enrolled to find out?

I'm enrolled in Excelsior for a BS in General Business. Attached is my degree plan and a list of classes with level (upper or lower); not included there are classes I've already completed, which are all lower division.

The degree plan was approved by an advisor, but I have changed two or three courses since approval in the Arts and Sciences and Additional Credit areas (mainly switching from more expensive ECE exams to Dantes exams where possible).

As far as upper and lower division credits required, it seems there are 30. I hope this helps.

Ana
Excelsior BS General Business.pdf
Excelsior BS General Business - add'l.pdf

[anar579]

Originally Posted by snazzlefrag

Poshgirl,

Be careful though! Some of the exams which are usually upper credit, are only counted as lower credit in the business degree. Such exams include: Principles of Finance, Business Policy, Operations Management....so these exams cannot be counted in your 12 upper level business credits.

Just read this after I posted. I don't believe this is correct. The Student Guide to Credit by Exam at EC & The Assessment Catalog (Section 3) clearly states all exam considerations (ECE, CLEP and Dantes), and Principles of Finance is an upper level exam; however, Business Policy and Operations Management are only offered in exam form by TECEP, since Excelsior has discontinued their versions. I honestly don't know if these TECEP credits are considered upper or lower division, but I believe you're right and these are lower division.

Very confusing huh?

[snazzlefrag]

Originally Posted by anar579

I'm enrolled in Excelsior for a BS in General Business. Attached is my degree plan and a list of classes with level (upper or lower); not included there are classes I've already completed, which are all lower division.

The degree plan was approved by an advisor, but I have changed two or three courses since approval in the Arts and Sciences and Additional Credit areas (mainly switching from more expensive ECE exams to Dantes exams where possible).

As far as upper and lower division credits required, it seems there are 30. I hope this helps.

Ana

Hi Ana,

It is interesting to see "DANTES Intro to Business" included in your 12 upper level credits. Was this approved by your advisor? The reason I ask, is that Intro to Business is ACE approved only as a lower level credit.

Please let us know if this is accurate.

Thanks,
Snazzlefrag

[snazzlefrag]

Originally Posted by anar579

Just read this after I posted. I don't believe this is correct. The Student Guide to Credit by Exam at EC & The Assessment Catalog (Section 3) clearly states all exam considerations (ECE, CLEP and Dantes), and Principles of Finance is an upper level exam; however, Business Policy and Operations Management are only offered in exam form by TECEP, since Excelsior has discontinued their versions. I honestly don't know if these TECEP credits are considered upper or lower division, but I believe you're right and these are lower division.

Very confusing huh?

Ana,

Yes, those exams are usually considered upper-level credit. However, for the purposes of the business faculty, they are only considered lower-level credit.

I think it has something to do with ANY exam which is a CORE subject for the business degree CANNOT be counted as upper level credit. As far as I can tell the three exams this affects are Principles of Finance, Operations Management, and Business Policy.

Hope that helps,
Snazzlefrag

[ShotoJuku]

Originally Posted by ThatPoshGirl

I've been downloading the various viewbooks from Excelsior in an attempt to put together a degree plan. I am going for a General Business degree. I want to earn most credits by examination and take a few (4 - 6) classes at the local community college. The thing that isn't clear to me is how many credits need to be upper level. The business viewbook shows that you need 12 upper level business credits but doesn't mention how many of your other credits need to be upper level. Does anyone have this info or do I have to wait until I've enrolled to find out?

Good advice aside from everyone else (including myself) ONLY your EC-Advisor can set you straight on what you MUST have and can point you in the right direction as per your degree requirements. GOOD LUCK!!

[anar579]

Originally Posted by snazzlefrag

Hi Ana,

It is interesting to see "DANTES Intro to Business" included in your 12 upper level credits. Was this approved by your advisor? The reason I ask, is that Intro to Business is ACE approved only as a lower level credit.

Please let us know if this is accurate.

Thanks,
Snazzlefrag

In fact, I did not have this course as part of my Advanced Level credits; I had another exam and the advisor suggested this one. I've wondered about the Dantes Intro. to Business being L division too. Now I may have misread the advisor's message to me; here is an excerpt from the e-mail from the advisor after I submitted my original course plan Original BSGB Degree Plan.pdf for approval; if you think I misread it let me know:

The business section looks fine they will all apply as you have stated with the exception of Principles of Supervision. This is not an advanced level exam. However you have the DANTES Management Information System listed under Free electives, this is an advanced level Business. The Excelsior College exams Organizational Behavior and Ethics: Theory& Practice are also advanced level. Therefore you may want to take the Principles of Supervision and the DANTES Introduction to Business instead of two of the exams you have listed under the advanced level.

In any case I'm resubmitting my plan for approval to make super duper sure! I'll post it once I receive it.

For everyone's benefit, I don't think it's wise to get a full degree plan from a forum or website. There's always the risk of taking an exam or course that may not apply as you originally intended, upper division or lower division, business degree or otherwise. The technicalities are best left to the advisors. Like snazzlefrag stated, one of the classes I thought was upper may be lower division. But, I don't have to worry either way because it's been approved. Furthermore, my degree is valid for me because I registered at Excelsior in Jan. 2006, but someone reading this forum in Sept. 2006 may be faced with different requirements and might be going down the wrong path following my degree plan. (Yes folks, it's a disclaimer )

[anar579]

Like I said in my last post, I resubmitted my BS in General Business degree plan.pdf for advisor review, and it was approved. Here's the message from the advisor:

Dear Ana,

Your revised degree plan looks fine except under the Advanced-Level Business Credit you listed the DANTES exam: Introduction to Business, and this is a lower level exam. You can still take this exam as an elective, and you will have enough advanced level business electives, because the Organizational Behavior and Ethics exams will both count towards the advanced level business electives as well as satisfy the specific requirement. If you have any questions, please let me know.

This clears up the Intro. to Business dilemma!